The present invention relates to systems and methods for evaluating a golf ball design, and more particularly, to systems and methods for rapidly manufacturing and evaluating a test golf ball that mimics the performance of a final desired golf ball using a substitute material in a one-piece or multi-piece golf ball having substantially the same dimple design and specific gravity of the desired final golf ball design.
Golf ball manufacturers continually strive to improve the performance of golf balls, for example, in terms of travel distance and control. While a golf ball may appear simple in shape, the many possible variations in surface features greatly affect a golf ball's performance. Slight adjustments in dimple patterns, shapes, and sizes may yield widely varying performance characteristics. Thus, traditionally, the golf ball design process has largely involved a trial and error approach, in which prototypes of proposed golf ball designs are first made as nonfunctional prototypes, which are evaluated for their visual appearance and are not suitable for testing, such as aerodynamic testing. After the visual evaluation, actual functional golf ball prototypes are manufactured in small batches using the same complicated manufacturing processes used to produce commercially-sold golf balls. The small batch of functional golf ball prototypes is then performance-tested. The traditional prototyping processes, from conception to prototype, therefore typically require extensive resources to manufacture molds and to injection mold multiple layers of the golf balls, which often have two- or three-piece constructions. Moreover, the first prototypes rarely provide the desired results, necessitating changes in the design and further prototyping and testing.
Consequently, the traditional prototyping approaches typically require a substantial commitment of money and time, and may undesirably delay a product's introduction to the market. During the research and development phase, when a manufacturer is considering many different golf ball designs and the designs are rapidly changing, the conventional prototyping techniques may significantly hinder a manufacturer from swiftly bringing new designs to the market. Manufacturers therefore desire the ability to quickly and conveniently test and evaluate proposed golf ball designs, to efficiently identify golf ball surface designs that optimize performance.